A parking brake is typically used when a vehicle is parked for long periods, and is independently formed from the brake pedal used during vehicle operation. Another application of the parking brake is when the vehicle is on an incline and assistance is needed to prevent the vehicle from moving backward (this technique is generally used when the vehicle has a manual transmission).
In conventional parking brakes, a cover plate, which is made of a plastic material of a predetermined hardness, is extended a predetermined distance from a lever assembly. It is thus necessary that the lever assembly be set to at least a predetermined height so that it does not interfere with the vehicle body mounting when the lever assembly is operated. That is, when the lever assembly is used when the distance between the lever assembly and the mounting is large, the durability of the lever assembly is decreased, and it is necessary to provide a significant amount of installation space. Therefore, there is a limited degree of freedom in design.
Further, since the cover plate can cover only areas corresponding to the trace of the lever assembly during operation of the same, some areas inside the casing go uncovered.